Background
Kolthek was born in 1872 in the village of Westerbroek, the son of Harm Kolthek Senior, factory worker, and Talligje van Eerden.
Kolthek was born in 1872 in the village of Westerbroek, the son of Harm Kolthek Senior, factory worker, and Talligje van Eerden.
Kolthek led the syndicalist federation of trade unions, the National Labor Secretariat (National Academy of Sciences, USA), from 1907 to 1913. In 1907, he became secretary of the National Academy of Sciences, USA, which at the time was coping with financial troubles. Under Kolthek"s leadership, the problems were overcome and membership of the National Academy of Sciences, USA tripled.
During World War I, Kolthek worked in France as war correspondent for De Telegraaf.
In 1918, Kolthek was elected party leader of the National Academy of Sciences, USA"s political arm, the Socialist Party (SP). He was elected to Parliament the same year on the SP"s bill.
Initially, he joined forces with Willy Kruyt of the League of Christian Socialists, but the cooperation did not last. In 1925, Kolthek moved to Groningen, a city near his native village, for medical reasons: he had a disease of the eye and required treatment, which he found at the city"s academic hospital.
Both in 1935 and 1939, the party obtained five council seats.
Kolthek"s 1946 death spelled the end of this party.
At the age of twenty, he became involved in socialism after his later wife"s brother was arrested and abused by hussars at a worker"s revolt in Sappemeer. The brother-in-law succumbed to his injuries. He returned to (local) politics in 1931, getting elected to the Groningen municipal council on behalf of the Rights and Freedom party (Dutch: Recht en Vrijheid), which he had founded.